Nursery Decorating Ideas
Planning for a new baby is exciting, but can also be expensive! There are plenty of unique and inexpensive ways to create
a beautiful nursery for your new arrival, and the first step in your
planning is to pick a theme.
Theme
Think
about using color palettes as a theme, rather than specific
characters. “Primary colors” can be a theme, with wall
hangings, curtains and comforters to match.
Sky and clouds can be a very flexible nursery decorating theme. They work for both boys and girls, and are soft, airy and calming to coordinate perfectly with baby's pastel clothing, blankets and toys. Then the sky and clouds convert well for older children's rooms as a background for many different mural themes. Our Cloudwash kits help you create realistic looking clouds and sky with no artistic ability, and you don't need to paint a base color if your walls are already white or off-white.
Or try a
topic that can grow with your child. For examples, a
room done in a “Jungle” theme can work all the way from a
nursery into a room for a 9-year-old child.
Walls
Once your theme is chosen, it’s time to start decorating.
The four walls of the bedroom are empty canvases for your
creativity. Some simple but impressive decorating
techniques can turn plain walls into works of art.
A
solid color of paint can go a long way in changing a blah
white room into a cheery environment. Remember that
small hands leave prints and these will be much easier to
clean off if you use a semi-gloss paint rather than flat.
Once you’ve painted, add inexpensive wall hangings.
Find posters from children’s museums, libraries and bookstores
then mount the posters onto foam board with re-positionable
adhesive spray. Both foam board and spray can be found
at any craft supply store or order online at www.joann.com.
Or
add even more zip by painting a mural on the wall. You
don’t have to be Michaelangelo to do this—look for paint-by-number
kits like the ones offered by WallNutz with great scenes of
a cow jumping over the moon, picket fence flower gardens or
cars, trucks, trains and airplanes.
Another painting technique is to use children's handprints in colors coordinating with the window treatments, bedding and accessories. Just brush your little one's hands with non-toxic acrylic craft paint and press her hand open against the wall. Repeat until you have your desired pattern. This can also be a fun thing to do again and again over time for a visual record of her growth!
You can also find chalkboard paint and magnetic paint at craft stores and some home improvement stores. Although your child won't use these area for a couple years, it will help the room grow with your child and prevent you having to redo the decor as often.
Furniture
Planning furniture for a nursery can be a challenge for many
new parents on a budget, but get creative and your investment
will last you and your child forever.
Let’s
start with the crib. You can buy cribs that range in
price anywhere from $100 into the thousands of dollars.
This may truly be the most expensive, but worthwhile place
to put your money when decorating. Ask yourself if multiple
children will be using the crib, because it may be worth spending
a few hundred dollars to purchase a sturdy version.
Some cribs also offer convertible features, where they will
turn into a toddler bed, then a daybed or even a queen sized
headboard and footboard. Generations offers this style
of crib for around $600. When you consider the cost
of replacing furniture several times throughout the growth
of your child, this type of investment makes a lot of sense.
Not to mention that Generation furniture is beautiful and
may someday make a cherished family heirloom to hand down
to your grandchildren.
Don’t
overlook garage sales in your search for furniture.
Often you can spot a real find in an old chest of
drawers. A great local source for used furniture (and even baby clothes and toys) is www.craigslist.org. Paint chests or shelves with a high gloss paint and
replace the hardware with some cute handles found at your
local hardware store.
Also,
look for dual function in furniture pieces. Instead
of a changing table, find a dresser that is about waist high.
Buy a changing pad to sit on top (less than $20) and fill
the top drawers with your diapering necessities. Keep
the pad from slipping by placing a small bath mat with rubber
backing facing down between the pad and dresser. The
dresser will convert to a functional chest of drawers once
your child is out of diapers.
Window
Treatments
Now window treatments are a place where you can really save
money by doing the work yourself. Here are some options:
Take
a metal curtain rod and place adhesive backed velcro all along
the length of the rod. Take opposing side of the
velcro and stick varying lengths of ¼” to ½”
wide ribbon vertically and touching side to side, along
the adhesive. You can use the same color of ribbon or
alternate colors. The ribbons will flutter in the wind
when the window is open to entertain your child.
You can use a variety of other materials to create fun valances as well. A hot glue gun will help you position grass table skirts along a metal curtain rod in a tropical theme rooms, or silk flowers and vines for a flower garden theme. Ropes with silk leaves attached and glued to the curtain rod make a fun valance for a jungle room. Browse Michaels or any craft supply store for the endless possibilities.
If you have a very sunny room, or there are no blinds on your child's windows, it is important to find a way to darken the room during sleep time. Heavy denim tab top curtains are relatively inexpensive at stores such as Linens 'N Things (especially with a coupon!) and do a great job blocking out light. They are simple and versatile enough to last through many different ages and room themes, particularly for boys.
Most important, have fun with your decorating and make it child friendly! You and your baby will love his or her nursery if it is calm enough to sleep in, and he can also touch and play in his space without worrying about safety or damaging decor!
Article copyright
2006, WallNutz LLC. All rights reserved.
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